Book 3 to Tara Wyatt’s Bodyguard series features the story of a Hollywood royalty in need of protection from her own family.

There are a lot of things Alexa didn’t know about the name Fairfax. The legacy of her name, while synonymous to glitz, influence, glamor and riches, hides a dark history borne out of greed; a dark history stained with blood and a trail of dead bodies who were stupid enough to get in the way.

When she inadvertently overheard about the murders that her father has ordered and orchestrated, fear and shock had her running out of the house and into the protection of one Zack de Luca; a Mixed Martial Arts fighter who moonlights as a bodyguard for Virtus.

Alexa hasn’t had the best relationship with her parents, to begin with. She has a disturbing past that she’s been trying to escape. The horror of what she’s been subjected to growing up cannot truly encapsulate the kind of monsters her parents are. They only know her as a timid character who is easily manipulated and can be used as a barter in exchange for acclimation, award, prestige, and sometimes, even movie roles. Did I mention how monstrous they are?

There are some truths to her parents’ life-long assessment of their daughter’s timidity, though. Frankly, there’s not much to her besides being a Hollywood princess who spends her time volunteering at a children’s hospital. There’s not a lot of depth that I can glean from her personality and character. The same goes for Zack. I feel like he tried to be an alpha male character at times but consistently failed. I just can’t get behind this pairing, to be honest. Their chemistry feels numbingly forced. And I swear I wanted to scream every time he mentions how “sweet” Alexa was. Like, dude. I got it the first 5 times you mentioned it.

Her family is evil. I can’t believe father dear was willing to use her as an incentive for one of his henchman. That’s messed up, man. And Alexa’s reaction to this news? Horrifically nonchalant. Perhaps it’s because she’s been through it many times and that she’s used to it but either way, it was sad how lacking her reaction was.

Despite my deceivingly adverse reaction, I think this series is worth further looking into. I mean, sure we got off on the wrong foot but I’m not necessarily a one-and-done kind of reader, so yeah. I’m especially curious to see the relationships between the other characters mentioned. Overall, expect to see more about this series on the blog.

Little else in life is as dangerous as fire jumping. Flying past towering pillars of smoke, parachuting down to the edge of an all-consuming blaze, shoveling and sawing for hours upon hours, days at a time, all to hold the line and push back against the raw power of Mother Nature.

But there’s also little else as thrilling – at least to Rowan Tripp. The Missoula smoke jumpers are one of the most exclusive fire-fighting squads in the nation, and the job is in Rowan’s blood: her father is a legend in the field. She’s been fighting fires since her eighteenth birthday. At this point, returning to the wilds of Montana for the season feels like coming home – even with reminders of the partner she lost last season still lingering in the air.

Fortunately, this year’s rookie crop is among the strongest ever – and Gulliver Curry’s one of the best. He’s also a walking contradiction, a hotshot firefighter with a big vocabulary and a winter job at a kid’s arcade. He came to Missoula to follow in the footsteps of Lucas “Iron Man” Tripp, yet he’s instantly more fascinated by his hero’s daughter. Rowan, as a rule, doesn’t hook up with other smoke jumpers, but Gull is convinced he can change her mind. And damn if he doesn’t make a good case to be an exception to the rule.

Everything is thrown off balance, though, when a dark presence lashes out against Rowan, looking to blame someone for last year’s tragedy. Rowan knows she can’t complicate things with Gull – any distractions in the air or on the ground could be lethal. But if she doesn’t find someone she can lean on when the heat gets intense, her life may go down in flames.

Nora Roberts, much like Sandra Brown, has made quite a name for herself in the Romantic Suspense genre. And while I haven’t been able to make great strides with her books, I’m slowly picking them up as I go along. Chasing Fire has always been on my periphery ever since I picked up the hardback in 2011. I just haven’t had the chance to read it because, YA. Thanks to an Audible sale, Chasing Fire is finally off my TBR.

Slow Burn

Truth be told, I almost quit on this book. The plot wasn’t revealed until about a quarter of the way in. And in this genre, the apt pacing could be the difference between a DNF and a great read. But I persevered. Because even though the story’s development came to a slow fruition, there was a lot of interesting things within its pages – para jumpers, for one. But these particular jumpers are trained to fight fire in the wilds. They are the ones that stood between a couple of acres of burnt forest and a wide-spread inferno that incinerates an entire town. Their job is exciting and dangerous which more than made up for the sluggish plot. Even though this is only my second Nora Roberts novel (not including JD Robb’s) I already have an idea as to her style of writing. She’s a meticulous story teller so her books tend to be longer and slower than I prefer.

The Short of It All

Rowan Tripp is a senior fire fighter who has seen the best and worst of being a Zulie. This season, however, will prove to be the most deadly. Aside from the fires bent on killing everything and everyone in its way, someone is on a killing tear. From sniper fire to equipment sabotage, Rowan refuse to acknowledge the inevitable reality that the person responsible could be one of the team members. With the help of a cocky, handsome rookie, Rowan, and her team is on the clock. Find the killer before they kill all of them.

Into the Fire

Nora Roberts knows how to give life to a genuinely strong female character. I can surmise that even if I’d only read three of her books so far.The job of a wildfire firefighter calls for agility, endurance, and intelligence. Depending on the magnitude of the fire, they could go days without any proper meal, sleep, or rest. And because she’s a senior firefighter, she leads the team every time they jump. She kept her head in the game without fail; she knows where to cut off the fire to give them a fighting chance.

Fire, Caught

Rowan, though, is emotionally stunted. She’s got trust and abandonment issues. Despite the close and ideal relationship she has with her father, she’s never really gotten over the fact that her mom abandoned them. Consequently, she kept everyone at a distance. But when Gulliver Curry arrived, he worked on breaking down her walls (as cliched as that may sound) so she can live for the moment. They have a realistic chemistry; not at all an exaggerated attraction, but they simply are.

Mystery/Suspense Fizzled

Because the novel had a languid pace, the mystery and suspense suffered a bit. She worked hard to conceal the identity of the suspect/killer to no avail. I suspected who it was as soon as they were introduced – and I’m not even a seasoned reader of the genre! Gull and Rowan never got close to naming a suspect which is a little out of the ordinary in romantic suspense. Usually, the main characters have some involvement in solving the crime, but here, they were merely participants. They speculated and did a half-ass job of investigating but they didn’t come to a conclusion. In the end, it came as a surprise to them as well.

I learned so much about para jumping and firefighting while reading this book. My admiration for firefighters doubled. To risk their lives every time they’re called on duty goes beyond a paycheque. It’s a dedication to the people and the land they’re trying to protect. Nora Roberts dove into this enterprise with gusto; she didn’t miss a thing. Regardless of how ineffectual the suspense was in this book, readers will still be able to appreciate the lessons it imparts, the characters worth knowing, and the romance that’s distinctively Nora Roberts.

I didn’t think answering someone else’s cell phone would change my life. But the stranger with the low, deep voice on the other end of the line tempted me, awakened my body, set me on fire. He was looking for someone else. Instead, he found me.

And I found a hot, secret world where I felt alive for the first time.

His name was Dylan, and, strangely, he made me feel safe. Desired. Compelled. Every dark thing he asked me to do, I did. Without question. I longed to meet him, but we were both keeping secrets. And mine were dangerous. If I took the first step, if I got closer to Dylan—emotionally, physically—then I wouldn’t be hiding anymore. I would be exposed, with nothing left to surrender but the truth. And my truth could hurt us both.

Ah. This book. It was so unexpectedly good. And by that, I don’t mean that I didn’t expect anything good from this author. I just meant that the discovery was refreshing. This genre is saturated, to say the least. So finding something as good as this book (series) is like finding a needle in a haystack. It’s been so long so I’ve been wowed by a little-known book. I read till 2 in the morning then proceeded to download the second book soon after. I can’t tell you how tempted I was to keep going but with only 3.5 hours left until my alarm goes off, I had to put my iPad down and sleep.

Molly O’Keefe’s writing has an addictive and compelling quality that lent to the ease in which I devoured this book. It’s simple, yes. But her story was far from it. As most of these stories go, you’ll meet a woman on the run from a dangerous past. She finds herself in a trailer park where she would have a fateful phone call with one Dylan Daniels. As cheesy as it sounds, the connection was instantaneous and dare I say, heated. Soon, the two started looking forward to these explicit phone calls. Over time, Dylan has managed to reach into Annie’s courage buried underneath all her insecurities and fear that her past is going to catch up to her. So much courage, in fact, that Annie started making demands of her own. But Dylan has a past of his that left him living in a hermit-like existence. So something’s got to give; honesty and acceptance are the only way for them to actually have a shot at being together. And if they’re not willing to face their own demons, there was no way they’re going to have the happiness that had so eluded them for years.

These two people are both scarred inside and out. And I know it’s something that we’ve probably read one too many times. I can’t convince you with my words to read this book. All I can do is ask you to try it. I know I’ve said it before that New Adult is a territory I very seldom venture into, so take that under consideration after reading this review. You will find two characters who, against all odds, have learned to live their pasts but not truly overcome them. In fact, the first two books in this series will have them running from the demons that chased them. It is not angsty in a relative term, but their situations were terrible enough to incite heart palpitations.

It is 2058, New York City. In a world where technology can reveal the darkest of secrets, there’s only one place to hide a crime of passion-in the heart.

Even in the mid-twenty-first century, during a time when genetic testing usually weeds out any violent hereditary traits before they can take over, murder still happens. The first victim is found lying on a sidewalk in the rain. The second is murdered in her own apartment building. Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas has no problem finding connections between the two crimes. Both victims were beautiful and highly successful women. Their glamorous lives and loves were the talk of the city. And their intimate relations with men of great power and wealth provide Eve with a long list of suspects — including her own lover, Roarke.

R E V I E W

I’m finally getting around to reviewing this book. I know it’s practically from the vault, but this series is too wonderful not to talk about. Between the futuristic landscape and the suspense that took my breath away, this book/series is worth scouring the earth for. I like that the Science Fiction aspect is downplayed. Those books tend to be daunting. This series, however, combines Sci-Fi with Romantic Suspense (which, I’m a big fan of).

This book finds Eve in the middle of several murders of highly successful women. Yet again, Roarke seems to be in the thick of it. I do hope this story arch stops soon. Honestly, it’s growing tedious. The doubting is getting to me. As if these two doesn’t have enough relationship problems already! At the same time, I like that Roarke’s name gets thrown into the mix. It’s like, when in doubt, blame Roarke. But one of the best things about this series is that it’s hard to pinpoint suspects – admittedly, it’s what also makes it fun to solve. At times, it’s frustrating. But hey, it’s a mark of a great mystery, isn’t it?

Eve and Roarke’s relationship are slowly developing. By that, I mean, Eve is getting more stubborn. She’s very wary of Roarke’s generous tendencies. She thinks that by accepting a gift from him, it’s a sign that he’s trying to change her. It was a battle of will for the most part, with one not readily giving in to the other. I do get it, though. It will take a lot for Eve to give up her independence, and she’s not quick to trust. So we’ll see how this goes. The ending will be another set of contest for these two. I can just see it now.

It is a universal fact that I have an obsessive personality. Once I find the object of my preoccupation, I tend to fixate on it until the next best thing comes along. I feel the same way about authors. Sometimes, it’s frustrating. Other times, it’s wholly fulfilling. For the last few days, I’ve been scratching a Sandra Brown itch. As of this writing, I read 24 of her books. “Preoccupied” seems too tame a word for it, to be honest. Instead of writing a review for each one of her books, I wanted to talk about what of her books that turns me into a shuddering, cold-sweating addict.

SOUTHERN CHARM

The arid heat of Texas, the water-logged Louisiana, and the Southern charm of Georgia are usually where her stories take place. The women of her books exude social propriety handed down from generations of Scarlet O’Haras. And while they show exemplary behavior in the public eye, they become different creatures in bed altogether.

SWAGGER

Cowboys. Men of the law. Ranch hands. Men who are used to their ways. Men whose opinion of gender equal rights is virtually non-existent. Until they meet their match, that is. Then they succumb to the Southern Belles who knows exactly how to drive them mad, drive them wild and tame them into lambs. These men sure know how to piss off the readers at first, though. I’ve been reading a lot of her decade-old books, and I’m not going to mince words. Most of the time, I want to stab them myself. Depending on how deep a South the story was set, the higher the chances that I would cringe at the names these people throw around. Words like, sluts, whores and the N-word, were used like they were going out of style.

SUSPENSE

She’s so proficient at this. Most of the time, I read her books with one-eye open. They’re not scary in the supernatural monsters and gory murder scenes kinda way, but she knows how to keep me furiously flipping the pages until I get to the secrets of her storyline. May it be her characters’ real identities, or birthrights; the real killers and their motives, she manages to stretch my sleuthing abilities like no other Romantic Suspense authors ever could.

SEX IN LIMITED QUANTITY

Believe it or not, Sandra doesn’t use sex gratuitously. She makes up for it in sexual tension, however. It takes a while for relationships to develop in her novels. Sometimes, characters don’t see the bedroom until more than halfway to the book. She spends a lot of time developing the mystery that surrounds her plot line, unless of course, the plot line is about crime of passion.

The most important characteristic of her novels is that I’m rarely ever bored. She may recycle certain aspects of a former character, but she still gives them their own personality and identity that you’ll never ever think you’ve heard them all before. That’s quite an achievement for someone who has written roughly 70 novels in her lifetime. Sandra Brown used to be a guilty pleasure. Not anymore.

Finding out that Ms. Brown has written a new novel merely two weeks before its release filled me with so much unexpected joy! If you don’t know know this by now, I love this author. I own about 38 of her novels. Yes, you can say I’m a little obsessed. But this woman is a master story teller. I’m never bored with her books. She just gets me, you know? And not a lot of authors do. I always look forward to seeing what she comes up with; and she rarely disappoints with each one.

Friction finds us in the courtroom of Judge Holly Spencer about to hear the custody appeal of Crawford Hunt. Years ago, he gave up his daughter because he was a mess after his wife’s death. During the proceedings, a gunman walked in and opened fire at the people in the courtroom. Ever the Texas Ranger, his instincts to save the judge kicked in almost instantaneously. Just when the readers think that his heroics will be enough to get him his daughter back, the investigator handling the case somehow managed to pin the shooting on him in the most asinine way.

I had to take breaks while reading this book. Stupidity ran rampant amongst the cops handling this case. I was mad that the person who saved lives, somehow ended up being the top suspect. The whole time, I was screaming profanity in my head. Usually, this is enough to get me to stop reading, but since it’s Sandra, I couldn’t bring myself to quit. As a reader, I like that feeling of satisfaction when the characters I knew to be in the wrong gets their due punishment. This time, I wasn’t at all interested in solving the case because I ought to, but because I wanted to yell “in your face!” to the investigators. Oh what joy it was!

Sandra has a way of conjuring up the sexiest male characters in most of her books. And man, Texas Ranger Crawford Hunt is one tall glass of yum. He has a way of being protective without being overtly so. He was the perfect mix of angry he-man and teddy bear tenderness. I especially enjoyed the relationship he was with his daughter.

There wasn’t a shortage of chemistry between Holly and Crawford. Sparks fly every which way every time they’re in the same room. An added tension is the forbidden-ness of their relationship as Holly was the presiding judge for his custody case.

As usual, Sandra knows how to keep me guessing. Her plot twists are legendary, and though her books are usually about 300-some-odd pages at the least, you’ll fly through them quite easily. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of her books!

I wanted to re-read this book because I couldn’t remember much about it. I read it back in November, and to be truthfully honest, I wasn’t really into it that time. A couple of chapters in, and I’m quickly reminded of how much I adore this author’s work. It’s like slipping on a pair of a favourite well-worn jeans: comfortable and familiar. The story overall isn’t pretty, so just ignore the comfortable bit. As far as familiar goes, I always get something different from Tucker, so maybe slipping on a pair of comfortable jeans is not a good simile. Either way, it’s a comfort to read her books again.

What it’s about

Burying Water is a story about a woman who woke up not knowing a thing about herself. She suffered a list of injuries and then was left for dead in the woods. For the duration of her stay in the hospital (which took months), she was only known as “Jane Doe”. Thankfully, there were some people who were willing to give her a chance at a fresh start. Living with a cantankerous recluse wasn’t easy at first, but since they have something in common, Jane, later known as Water, easily acclimated with Ginny Fitzgerald’s oddities. Ginny hates being around people; she’s especially mistrustful of men in general, and Jesse, in particular.

Jesse keeps a past connected with Water. He knew what happened to her that night in the woods. It was a relief to him when she woke up with a blank slate, because then she would not know the horrors she’d gone through the night of her assault. He made a promise to himself to watch over her from a distance, but as days go by, all the reasons why faded with Water’s bruises.

Thoughts

Sometimes, the alternating past and present method of narrative doesn’t make for a smooth read. It’s hard to keep the storylines flow in a seamless fashion. That wasn’t the case here. I also enjoyed reading the story from two perspectives (Water and Jesse). I like seeing all the joy and the torment they both went through.

There wasn’t a shortage of difficult scenes in this book as Water came from an abusive relationship. It is also a series about the mob, so readers already know what they’re in for. The details of her injuries was hard to take especially knowing that [spoiler] she was pregnant at the time [/spolier]. I think the only thing I can complain about this book is the ease with which Water accepted the Jesse’s deception. There was very little struggle and soul-searching on Water’s part. It’s almost as if Ms. Tucker ran out of pages to write on.

But over all, I really did enjoy this book. Romance, suspense, mystery. This book has got it all.

Dawson Scott is a journalist recently back from a stint in Afghanistan. As most servicemen could attest to having these kind of assignments, a lot have come back a changed person. Most of the time, they also bring back a souvenir no one wants: PTSD. Dawson is battling his own demons. Mostly a nightmare that wears heavily on him day in and day out.

When an assignment falls on his lap, he didn’t think too much of it. But when his own godfather sought him out for this specific case, he knew all bets are off. It was a story that carry so much on the person that he considers a father figure when his own died. It had a lot of history; years of violence and misplaced political beliefs. It will also answer one question that had plagued the former agent for many years now: the fate of an infant whose DNA was found forty years ago during a botched shoot out between FBI agents and known domestic terrorists. Years later, a connection will be established between Jeremy Wesson, a former soldier believed to be dead, and the terrorists’ leader, Carl Wingert.

Once again, Sandra Brown knows exactly what to do to wrangle all my devoted attention right down to the last page. It was one of those reads that had me wanting to flip the pages as fast as humanly possible. I don’t know how many times I need to reiterate how well versed this woman is for creating new and thrilling story lines, but she somehow keeps giving birth to stories that are impossible until you read them in her books. I just can’t get enough. It’s kind of disturbing too, to have all those insane plot bunnies hopping around in her head. But hey, Ms. Brown, you just keep churning those stories and I’ll keep buying them.

I always look forward to the romance in her books, but I think this is one of those instances when it really took a backseat to the mystery. Dawson, the journalist, have met his match with the widow of Jeremy Wesson. But I like that there was veritable dynamic between Dawson and Amelia’s children.

I was fascinated with her antagonists as well. I wanted to know how anyone can believe in something so badly that they’ve come to consider it to be true and righteous; when in reality, their principles were rooted to nothing more than greed. These are a group of people who were so devious and amoral, and who didn’t have any qualms about killing innocent people.

If there’s one thing you can expect from a Sandra Brown book is its unpredictability. Sandra knows plot twists, but I have to admit that this one has one of the best amongst all the books of hers that I’ve read so far.

In conclusion, I have yet to read a book by her that I didn’t like. That says a lot about this woman’s talent and her ability to get me to scour old books shops for some of her older novels.

Prosecutor, Alexandra Gaither has an axe to grind with the people of Purcell County. The murder of her mother twenty years ago may have been a solved case, but she knows in her heart of hearts that they punished the wrong man. Buddy Hicks was a mentally disabled man who took the fall for Celina’s death. He was found with the murder weapon covered with Celina’s blood. It was an open and shut case, but Alex knew there was conspiracy involved.

Her grandmother has held her mother in the highest regard, but Alexandra’s unexpected birth brought all her grandmother’s dreams of grandeur for her own daughter Celina to a crashing halt. Years of being blamed for her mother’s failures was what led to her curiosity about her death. Determined to get to the real truth about her murder, Alexandra wasn’t prepared for what she’ll discover.

Her arrival at Purcell County will wake up rivalries decades in the making. She will reopen wounds that had been left pestering for years. Amidst the storm she’s bringing to the place that held all the secrets of her mother’s former life, Alex is determined to find the real killer. At least, before the killer finds her first.

This book is a bit longer than normal, it seems. But it still only took me a couple of days to read it. That’s the beauty of Sandra’s work. It has that immersive quality that makes you want to shut the world out if only to devour her novel. She wasn’t very forthcoming with her clues as well. You will either be encumbered with frustration or be in awe with the intricacy of her mystery. I wasn’t annoyed by any means, not even impatient. I was completely vested in the novel.

I’ve always found that characterization is one of Sandra’s strengths. From the major players right down to the troublesome bar fly, I feel like she’s able to give them life even in not so many words.

What is Sandra’s book without romance? This is also one of her strengths. I don’t think I’ve ever read any of her books where she recycles story arches. This time around, the romance is a bit intriguing. There was quite an age gap between them. Also the man has a history with her mom. So some may find this a bit icky, like I did at first. Somehow, Sandra found a way to convince me otherwise. And boy, did she ever make me wait for it! But heck, it was worth it.

Best Kept Secrets is a signature Sandra Brown: romantic, suspensful, provocative. Reading this one makes me glad that I’m working through a magnificent back list of her novels. And seriously glad this woman is a writing machine.

This is my first ever Nora Roberts book. I wanted to read it because for an author of her popularity, I haven’t been inclined to check out her work. I’ve had this intolerable stigma that her books are purely romance, and in so, something to be read in the privacy of my bedroom. But I was wrong. I think I’ve always known I was wrong. I was just too stubborn to see reason. It just so happens that it was one of those weekends where I was between books. So when I saw this on my pile, I said, why not? A couple of chapters in, and I was hooked!

The Story.

Professional house-sitter, Lila Emerson was used to watching people live their lives. Through a pair of binoculars she sees them and invents stories behind their glass windows. One night, she didn’t expect to witness the murder of a supermodel who fell to her death fourteen stories high. She’d always known that she was in one of those tumultuous, tempestuous relationships. So she knew it was only a matter of time before she befalls victim to her live-in lover. But the story is not as cut and dry. If at first, the suspects wanted the police to assume it was a murder/suicide, mounting evidence, however, points to double murder.

Ashton Archer knew her brother wasn’t capable of hurting a fly. So when the police notified him that Oliver killed his lover, he was the first to defend him. He’s not going to rest until he finds out what happens to him. So he recruits the help of the only witness in the crime. Who would’ve known that gypsy writer, Lila Emerson could be as beautiful as she was insightful? Soon, their attraction starts to develop into something more. People also started dying; murdered by the same people who killed his brother.

Together, Lila and Ashton embarks to solve the mystery of what kind of trouble Oliver got himself into that led to his murder. Provided they don’t get killed first.

My Thoughts.

That was really unexpected. Though I don’t know why I would think that. Nora Roberts hasn’t written 200 books because she was a mediocre writer. She has legions of fans who can attest to her story-telling prowess. I really am glad I finally broke through her world. I’ve become an instant fan!

Her characterizations are superb. Lila is one of those people who has this knack for getting you to talk. Soon, she’ll have your deepest secrets without you knowing how she did it. She’s also like a MacGyver of sorts. She fixes things – big and small with her handy-dandy switchblade of doom. She has the best job ever. She travels and for periods of time she lives in luxury as a professional house sitter for the rich. On her spare time, she’s a successful Young Adult novelist. She is funny, candid and she’s not scared of anything – not even the ruthless assassin who was hunting them. She’s spunky and delightful; truly a well-rounded character.

On the other hand, you’ve got Ashton, who was a study in control. Sometimes, you can feel his anger brimming to the surface, but he’s able to coral it in. I did wonder what it would be like for him to unleash all his temper, though. I imagine it would be spectacularly hot.

Over all, this book was a delightful mix of suspense and romance. It was a languid tale interspersed with burst of thrills that will get readers engrossed from start to finish. I can’t wait to read more from Ms. Roberts!